FIC: Fallen Night ~ Chapter Five ~ Harry/Jack ~ T

[batsutousai]

Title: Fallen Night
Fandoms: Harry Potter & Radiata Stories
Chapter: 5 of 11
Author: batsutousai
Beta: tsuki_no_suzu
Rating: T
Pairings: Harry/Jack
Warnings: OoC, AU, slash, non-human arc
Summary: Harry slipped when he was standing a little too close, and the next thing he knew, he was far away from everything he'd ever known, with something like eternity waiting for him.

Disclaim Her: This story uses characters and settings owned by J.K. Rowling, her publishers, Square Enix and tri-Ace. No money is being made from the creation of this fanfic, and no copywrite infringement is intended.
Scenes taken from the game, edited to include Harry. Blah. XD

A/N: OMG! Plot! XD

-0-
Chapter Five - It Was Meant To Be
-0-

Jack groaned when he woke to someone pounding at his door. He'd spent yesterday getting his arse handed to him, first by a giant octopus, then by a band of bandits, and all he had to show for it was a pretty red stone. What was he supposed to do with a pretty red stone, anyway? Give it to some girl he thought looked pretty? "Change his destiny?" Pah.

The knocking continued and Jack reluctantly climbed out of bed. Upon opening the door, he thought there was no one there for a moment before looking down. There stood a somewhat familiar dwarf, who looked like he'd been shoved in the mud and beat up. "Hey, you're Donovitch, right? What are you doing here? Wait! Forget that! What happened to you? You're a mess!"

"If you're so surprised to see me like this, then I suppose you haven't heard yet," Donovitch replied

"Heard what? What do you mean?"

"What am I talking about? Your royal knights have invaded Earth Valley."

Jack blinked in surprise. The knights invaded Earth Valley? No...

"I barely escaped with my life."

"What? No! I don't believe it! The knights wouldn't do that! I mean, take the captain...he always said that dwarves were our friends," Jack reasoned.

Donovitch scoffed. "Friends? I think not, young man. Slaves perhaps, but not friends. You humans cannot see anything beyond your own personal profit and gain. Humans used to be content to control our lives from afar... But now we are shackled like slaves, and humans make us work the mines day and night. Jack, we need your help, desperately. You have to stop the knights."

Jack shook his head to clear it. "Me?" he asked in surprise. If the dwarves really were being enslaved by humans, why would they trust him? Maybe they understood that not all humans were bad? Or it was a joke. Dwarves could joke, right? "Of course I'll help! I'll do whatever I can!" he insisted.

"Thank you, young friend. We should leave as soon as possible."

Jack grabbed his travel sack and sword from next to the door and stepped outside, the door falling shut behind him. "Hey, I'm ready. Let's go."

Donovitch nodded and led the way out of the city and through the Heliforde Gate to the Dova Region. Once on the open road, Jack fell in step with Donovitch, jumping forward to meet any attacking creatures before they could get to the tired dwarf. Donovitch seemed to appreciate the effort, though he didn't say anything.

They were nearing the valley when Jack wondered, aloud, about how Donovitch had gotten out. The dwarf explained that the other dwarves had helped him, in hopes that he'd find Gawain to help, but Gawain had been unavailable, so he'd come to see Jack, in hopes that the young, one-time knight would be able to help.

Upon reaching the cliff, they stopped and looked down at the entrance where a man Jack knew well stood guard. "Hey, I know him. That's Leonard! I guess the knights really are here," Jack realised with a sinking feeling in his stomach. If Donovitch had been right about the knights being in Earth Valley, did that mean he was right about them enslaving the dwarves too?

"Now do you believe me?" Donovitch wanted to know, looking down on his home sadly. "We need to find a way to get inside."

"Hey, hey! Let's take it slowly, okay?"

Donovitch glared at him. "Open your eyes, Jack. You haven't seen anything yet. You haven't seen how we're enslaved and coerced. Are you afraid of seeing the truth?"

'Yes,' Jack's mind supplied, but all he said was, "Shh, calm down, okay? He'll hear us."

"Calm down!? You want me to be calm? While my friends are turned into slaves? What is wrong with you? Are you a coward?"

"It's not that. I just want to check things out first, you know?" Jack tried.

Donovitch turned his back on him and shook his fist. "No! If you won't do it, then I'm going to break that gate down myself!" He started to walk down the path.

Jack reached out and grabbed a hunk of hair and hoped he wouldn't hurt the dwarf too much. "Hey, hold your horses!"

Donovitch struggled against Jack for a bit before stopping to stare down at the valley, where a dwarf was walking towards the gate "Hmm? What's this?"

"What?" Jack shook his head. "Check it out. Looks like there was another dwarf who managed to escape," he said as Leonard ran forward to meet the dwarf.

"Another dwarf? I don't know him."

Jack turned to look at Donovitch in surprise. "Huh?"

"I've never seen him before in my life."

All dwarves know each other? Jack wondered. They watched as the lone dwarf casually knocked away first Leonard, then the many guards who filed out of Earth Valley.

"Whoa! Ouch! Wow!" Jack exclaimed as men were knocked to either side. "That dwarf knows how to kick butt!"

"Yes...could it be? Could he be the one? Is he the saviour of the dwarves?"

Jack turned to look at Donovitch in surprise. "Saviour?" he whispered, looking back down at the scene unfolding beneath them. "The Earth Dragon?"

Donovitch stared at Jack. "What do you know of the dragons?"

Jack swallowed. "Only what I've heard from the Fire Dragon, Parsec," he admitted. "Six dragons, one each to protect the fairy creatures and two to watch the humans. The Water Dragon is dead. The Earth Dragon protects the dwarves."

Donovitch looked back down into the valley. "Impressive," he allowed.

Jack just nodded. So that was Baade?

Back down in the valley, General Dynas and Cross ran out of Earth Valley, only to stop in shock at the mess of their men, while Baade finished knocking the last couple out. There was a brief argument, then Baade was surrounded by light and shifted into the form of a dragon.

"Whoa..." Jack whispered, eyes bright in excitement.

They could just hear Baade shout, "I've had enough of you human filth! I'm going to grind you down to dust!"

Jack grinned. "Get 'em!" he said quietly, much to the amusement of Donovitch.

"You'd best hope he doesn't lump you in with them," the dwarf commented drily.

Jack deflated a bit. "Uh, yeah. You'll vouch for me, right?"

Donovitch let out a rasping laugh in answer.

Down in the valley, more men from inside Earth Valley were running at Baade, but the Earth Dragon was casually flinging them all away. General Dynas eventually stepped forward and hit Baade around the face a couple of times, only for Baade to swing his tail around and send the human flying.

Cross was the only person left and Jack grinned in anticipation as Baade knocked the asshole away. But, just as Cross fainted, a light shone from somewhere inside his armour and Baade reared back, in pain.

"No!" he shouted. "T-The orb!?"

Then he turned to stone and crumbled to dust.

Jack and Donovitch stared on in silent horror as those guards who could, got up to tend to the wounded and see to the dead.

"What... What just happened?" Jack whispered.

"He's been killed," Donovitch replied.

Jack shook his head. "Cross had something..." He swallowed. "We have to let the other dragons know. They'll be in danger!"

Donovitch nodded. "That will be your charge, Jack, and I wish you luck. My place is with my people."

"But... But you can't go back. It's too dangerous down there!"

"My place is with my people," Donovitch repeated. "If their fate is death, it is a fate I will share." He turned and started down the path.

Jack watched him go, feeling so hurt and tired. So helpless.

He stayed there until Donovitch had been dragged, unresisting, back into Earth Valley, then stood and started back for Radiata. Humans were capable of such cruelty.

By the time Jack got back to the city, it was getting late, so he wandered back home and crawled into his bed, feeling sick. He needed to find some way to warn the other dragons about the danger. There was no way to warn Aphelion, but if he went to the Forest Metropolis, he could make sure Harry told Parsec and the Wind Dragon. He could make sure Harry knew to be careful.

Harry... Would the mage have been so helpless on that cliff-top? Jack thought Harry probably would have run down, blasting spells to protect Baade's back. To keep whatever Cross had from ever activating. Harry wouldn't have been stuck up there, too terrified to go into Earth Valley and see what the humans were doing. Harry...

Jack buried his face in his pillow. "I miss him," he whispered to the cotton. "Please, Harry. Please be okay..."

-0-0-0-

Jack was again awoken by a pounding on his door. This time, it was a guard from the castle to tell him that Lord Larks requested his presence that evening. Jack was left wondering what Lord Larks could want with him after all this time. After spending ten minutes thinking about it, Jack shrugged and grabbed his things. He needed to make a trip to the Forest Metropolis.

Harry wasn't in when he got there, as Mikey at the front door told him when he asked. Apparently, Harry had left early that morning with none the wiser.

"Well, do you know when he'll be back?" Jack pleaded. "I have a message for him."

"You can leave it with me," Mikey replied, shrugging.

"It's really important. Please, when is he supposed to be back?"

Mikey shrugged again. "Don't know. He looked really bad yesterday and went to bed early. He was gone this morning before anyone got up."

Jack rubbed at his face. "The Earth Dragon was killed yesterday."

"What!" Mikey jumped up from the rock he'd been sitting on since Jack arrived. "What happened? It was humans, wasn't it? It's always humans."

Jack sighed. "Yeah. The knights took control of Earth Valley and are forcing the dwarves to mine for them at all hours. Baade came to stop them, but he was killed in the fight."

Mikey narrowed his eyes. "You're a human," he realised. "A knight."

"I haven't been a knight for weeks," Jack retorted. "I got kicked out. I was only there because one of the dwarves asked for my help."

"Yeah, okay," Mikey replied, still suspicious. "So, was that your message? That Baade is dead?"

Jack shook his head. "One of the knights, Cross, when he got knocked out, something started shining from inside his armour. The light struck Baade and that's what killed him. He said something about an orb before he crumbled to dust. Harry needs to pass on the warning to Parsec and Cepheid that the humans have a stone that could kill them."

Mikey blinked in surprise, then inclined his head. "Cepheid is in the Wind Valley, just east of here; he arrived last night. I'll send someone to let him know. And Clarence knows Parsec, he can go down to Fire Mountain and warn him. Is that acceptable? Because I really don't know when Harry'll be back."

Jack swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, sure. But, when you see Harry, could you let him know anyway? It might be important."

Mikey looked confused, but nodded. "Sure. I'll tell him as soon as he gets back."

Jack breathed out in relief. "Thanks."

"Yeah, sure thing. And, um, hey... I'm sorry I doubted you. Harry doesn't usually befriend bad humans."

Jack smiled sadly. "I understand. I'm not too sure about my race right now, myself," he admitted, then turned and hurried back to the pig statue. If he was going to have a meeting with Lord Larks that evening, he needed to do laundry.

-0-0-0-

When Harry got home that night, he still felt unwell, but the magic of the planet was finally settling again and it wasn't straining him anymore. The fact that he had felt Baade's death, even though none of the dark elves had, told him more than anything that he was something more, so he'd gone out that morning and found a clearing to work on finding his dragon form. It had taken a while, but he'd managed, finally, an hour ago.

From what he'd been able to see of himself, he looked rather like the Hungarian Horntail he'd once faced as a teen. It hadn't surprised him, really, since the Horntail was known to have a violent temper and was deadly in combat. Compared to the other mages of this world – and even the elves – Harry was probably the most dangerous foe one could face, assuming he had a reason. After all, no one else in this world could cast the Killing Curse at will, and that had no defence.

Mikey was dozing on his usual rock and Harry smiled at him fondly. The young elf loved it when Harry sat down with him and told him stories from Harry's home world, saying they were the best stories he'd ever heard. It was always nice to talk about where he'd come from, especially if the person listening enjoyed it as much as Mikey did.

He stopped next to the boy and touched his shoulder. "Mikey. Come on, kiddo. Time to go inside."

Mikey sleepily opened his eyes and blinked up at Harry. It took him a moment to place the smiling face and remember what he needed to tell him, but he eventually jumped to his feet and said, "I have a very important message for you!"

Harry blinked, startled. "Okay. Go on, then."

"The Earth Dragon, Baade, was killed yesterday by the knights, who have taken over Earth Valley," he reported. "Jack says Baade was killed by an orb one of the knights had on his person. Clarence and Martinez have already gone to warn Cepheid and Parsec about the danger, but Jack insisted I tell you, too."

Harry stared for a long moment. Once everything had sunken in, he whispered, "Jack was here?"

Mikey blinked. "Oh, yeah. He wanted to tell you himself, I think, but you were gone, so..." He shrugged. "He went back to Radiata, though."

Harry sighed. It was probably for the best. "Thanks, Mikey. Martinez is okay, though? Cepheid doesn't like you guys, but I don't think he'd attack on sight..."

Mikey nodded. "Yeah, he's fine. But Cepheid still said he wasn't afraid to face down any humans, orbs or no orbs."

Harry shook his head. Cepheid was so very much like the light elves in his determination to punish all humans for their every wrong. Speaking of the light elves... "You said the humans have taken over Earth Valley?"

Mikey nodded sadly. "Yeah. Making them mine all the time without rest."

Harry grimaced. "The light elves aren't going to like that." He rubbed a hand down his face. "Okay. Go inside, get some sleep. I'm going to the City of Flowers."

"Why?" Mikey asked as Harry turned towards the pig statue.

"Damage control," Harry replied and let the pig whisk him away to the City of Flowers.

Fan and Shin met him at the entrance. "Where have you been?" Fan asked. "Have you heard about Baade?"

"Yes. I need to speak with Zane."

"Oh, um..." Shin shifted nervously when Harry turned to stare at him. "He's, um... He's busy. With a guest."

"A guest," Harry repeated drily.

Shin nodded. "Yeah, so you can't go in."

Harry casually pulled out his wand and twirled it. "Move," he said calmly.

Fan and Shin darted out of the way and watched as Harry stepped through the opening.

"He's going to kill Lord Zane, isn't he?" Shin asked.

Fan shook her head. "Lord Zane should have known better," she responded. "He knew Harry would be by as soon as he heard about Baade, and he still took a human prisoner."

Harry made it to Zane's home in record time, only to find his way blocked by a few of the light elves, all of whom watched him nervously. "Move," he ordered.

Gil glided forward. "Promise you won't act in violence."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "What have you lot done this time?"

"Promise," Gil insisted.

Harry considered the light elf for a moment, then nodded. "I promise not to curse anyone, but I reserve the right to yell. And maybe punch Zane. Is that acceptable?"

Gil sighed and nodded, then moved out of the way. The elves behind him reluctantly followed his lead, then darted around Lord Zane's home to watch the drama unfold through the windows.

Harry stepped into Zane's home and paused when he saw Ridley in one corner with an angry light elf hovering over her. Ridley looked startled to see him, but Zane looked like he might just piss himself as Harry turned angry eyes on the elf leader. "Start talking," he said ever so quietly.

Zane immediately explained how Ridley and Jack had come to them and, when Zane had threatened to kill Ridley, Jack had promised to take Fort Helencia for the elves in return for Ridley's life.

Harry remained silent for the explanation. When Zane had fallen silent, he asked, "You sent a sixteen-year-old human to take a fully armed human fort by himself?"

Zane shrugged. "He offered."

Harry nodded. "If, say, Pitt, said he'd go and take on an entire human fort alone, would you let him?"

Zane shook his head. "I'd send others with him."

Harry nodded again, then looked at the faces peering in the windows. "I need volunteers who will go with me to help Jack." In the corner, Ridley breathed a sigh of relief, reminding Harry she was there. "Oh, and let the girl go, would you? Give her something to drink and eat."

The guard over her looked at Lord Zane. "Sir?"

"Do as he says," Zane said, eyeing Harry like he might explode. Harry's return smile reminded him of a hungry smilodon.

"I will go with you, Harry," Gil said suddenly, stepping through the doorway. At Zane's surprised look, he added, "I owe the son of Cairn that much."

"That boy is Cairn's son?" Zane whispered even as the other light elves outside all clamoured to come with Harry.

Harry rubbed at his forehead. "SILENCE!" he roared. Once everyone had fallen silent, he turned to Gil. "Pick those you believe would be capable of taking Helencia." Gil nodded and set about doing that while Harry turned back towards Zane. "I don't like this, for the record," he commented. "Taking Helencia will only escalate matters, but if I know humans, they won't need you escalating matters to turn this into a war."

"You're too peaceful," Zane retorted.

Harry shrugged. "I've seen too much war." He turned to where Gil was waiting with five other elves. "Ready? Good. Let's go."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to keep up with us?" one of the younger elves snapped.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why thank you, Row, for volunteering to be my ride."

"I'd sooner drop you in a chasm," Row replied nastily.

"And he'll only survive and then kill you," Gil informed her tiredly. "Harry, I'll take you."

"Fantastic," Harry replied, then waved them out ahead of him. Before he stepped out of the house, he turned back to Zane. "If Lady Ridley is harmed or I find out she's been neglected while I'm gone, heads will roll. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Zane replied, looking almost cowed.

Harry smiled at the startled Ridley, then swept from the house.

-0-0-0-

Jack grinned as he came out the undisputed winner of the tough battle. Leonard was out cold and Natalie was glaring up at him from the ground, grumbling about having been beaten by a kid. "Ah-ha! So, who do you think's the toughest now?" He took a moment to pose, then snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. "Oh, yeah! I've got to give my victory speech. I've been thinking about it for a while," he told her, as if in confidence.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

Jack crossed his arms and looked down at her with his best menacing face. "I'll spare your life, but you have to do exactly as I say," he said in a deep voice.

Natalie looked confused. "Exactly as you say...?" she repeated, then turned bright red. "No! Not that!" She hugged herself protectively and started twisting around. "No! Stop! You horrible monster! You beast!"

Jack stared at her in shock for a moment before it sunk in what she thought he'd meant and he waved his hands at her. "Whoa, calm down! You've got it all wrong! I just want to see you grovel a bit..."

Natalie stopped her act. "Oh, I see... I just assumed..." She paused, realising what he'd said. "Hey, wait a minute! I'm not doing that either!"

"Yeah? Okay, fine, have it your way... But if you don't want to beg for your life..." He smiled at her.

"You wouldn't! Oh, you evil scoundrel! Sometimes my good looks are such a curse..."

"Well? I'm waiting."

"Oh, all right, all right." She held her hands in front of her as if in prayer and started bowing. "Oh, dear Master Jack, please don't kill me, please spare my life..."

Jack grinned, pleased, but wanted to see how far he could take it. "How about. 'Oh Lord Jack, most great and powerful warrior'? And try to put more effort into it."

Natalie growled angrily, but got down on her hands and knees, touching her nose to the floor. "I don't believe this! Oh Lord Jack, most great and powerful warrior, please spare my life!" she said.

"Naw, that's no good," Jack decided. "You've got to be cuter when you do it. Like, 'Oh, pretty, pretty please.' Try that."

Natalie sat up again and glared at him. "You're pushing your luck..."

"You know," said a voice from the doorway, "it's been my experience that people who stop and gloat over enemies that aren't dead usually end up very dead themselves when their opponents have had a moment to regroup."

Jack turned to stare at where a familiar mage was leaning against the doorframe. "Harry?" he whispered.

Harry's lips twitched. "I'm sorry, Jack, but you're just not megalomaniac material." He pushed away from the doorframe. "Now, come on. I brought some idiots with me who know how to take a fort."

"Who are you?" Natalie snapped, struggling to her feet.

Harry smiled at her as Jack joined him by the door. "Little old me? Oh, just someone passing through. I'm about to set a horde of light elves on your fort, though. You might want to run. Or at least batten the hatches."

"Do what?" Jack asked.

"Ah... Sorry, boating term." Harry shrugged. "Come on, you," he said, tugging Jack out of the room and down the hall.

Jack grinned. "I'm glad you're okay."

Harry chuckled. "Yes. Thank you for the warning. I'd rather like to get a look at this orb, but I suppose I really shouldn't be anywhere near it."

"That would probably be safest," Jack agreed as they walked past a couple of frozen guards and out the gate.

A line of light elves were waiting for them and a couple darted forward to meet them. "Are you really Sir Cairn's son?" one asked.

Jack blinked in surprise. "Er, yeah." He glanced up at Harry. "I thought you said the light elves were the ones who killed my dad."

Harry shrugged. "Just because he did something stupid and contracted algandars doesn't mean he wasn't liked by them. I liked Cairn, after all, but I still voted to send an assassin."

"Oh. Yeah..." Jack looked back at the light elves, all of whom were watching them silently. "Hi?"

Immediately, the elves all clamoured to shake his hand, excited, and Jack laughingly obliged them.

Gil floated up next to Harry. "You told him the truth?"

"He deserved to know," Harry replied with a shrug. "And Gawain deserves to have at least one human not hate him for a crime that wasn't his. That it is Cairn's own son seems only the more right."

Gil shook his head. "At least you're not avoiding each other anymore."

"We weren't–"

"Look alive, elves!" Gil snapped as the humans from the fort came marching out, Leonard and Natalie leading the way.

"Light elves!" Natalie shouted, sounding almost shocked.

Harry pulled Jack out of the way as the six light elves lined up to face the humans. "Let them handle this," he told the boy. "They've grown up training to war with humans."

"But... I didn't mean for this to turn into a war!" Jack complained.

"Humans have already started this war," Gil offered shortly as he readied a spell to cast on a guard running at them. "We're just responding in kind."

"The knights attacked Earth Valley," Harry reminded Jack. "They killed Baade. When practically your whole existence depends on a dragon's survival, killing one is like a declaration of war."

Jack nodded his understanding. "But...war?"

"Lord Harry doesn't like it either," one of the light elves commented. "He only came because you were here."

"Less talking, more ass-kicking!" Gil snapped, then glanced back at Harry in apology.

Harry shrugged. Children would be children.

Jack smiled. "Thanks," he said so only Harry could hear him.

Harry smiled back.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Leonard called.

"Doing?"

"You're with light elves! You're fighting against your own kind!"

Jack stiffened. "What?" he whispered.

Harry shot a curse at the man, opening a long cut on his forearm. "Fighting against his own kind?" he called back. "You humans are the ones who've drawn the lines! All you do is abuse and demand things of the fairy creatures! You scorn those who enjoy a different world view, and when they won't conform to your standards, you beat them down. And then you have the audacity to be surprised when other humans turn against you?"

"What? Lies!" Natalie snapped.

"Then tell me, Lady Knight, why were the dwarves attacked and forced into submission?"

"They refused to negotiate!"

"Negotiate?" Jack asked, looking up from his silent misery. "Negotiate what?"

"Their prices! They were far too high in their demands!"

"But they had no choice!" Jack called back. "They said so, while we were there! The mines were running dry!"

"Lies!" Natalie shouted.

Jack looked over at Harry. "You said that when the Water Dragon was destroyed, all the water in the chasms dried up. What will happen now that the Earth Dragon is dead?"

Harry pointed to a patch of grass that was withered and dying. "That. The earth will stop producing life. Crops and grass will refuse to grow. Trees will start to turn brown and drop leaves out of their season." He dropped his hand and shook his head. "Without Baade, the dwarves no longer have their connection to the magic of the earth. They won't be able to find ore with such accuracy, and their ability to imbue magic in their weapons will fade into myth."

"They're destroying themselves," Jack realised in horror. "In fighting against the fairy creatures, they ruin their own chances for survival."

"Exactly."

Jack's expression hardened and he called, "I'm not fighting against my own kind, Leonard! I'm fighting to save those who can't fight themselves, human and fairy creature alike! If that means we're fighting on opposite sides of the battlefield, then so be it!"

In front of them, Gil grinned. "He really is Cairn's son," he whispered to himself, then turned to look at Harry. "Take him back to the city. His friend will be glad to see him, I think."

Harry nodded and gently touched Jack's shoulder. "They can handle themselves here," he told the boy. "I'm sure Ridley's worried about you."

Jack nodded. "Yeah." He let Harry lead him back towards the road before asking, "Is she okay? You made sure they didn't kill her or anything, right?"

Harry snorted. "If she isn't perfectly comfortable when we get back, Zane is well aware that I'll take it out on him."

Jack turned to stare at him. "Did you two fight or something? You're not usually so..."

Harry's lips twitched. "Willing to kill him? Well, he dropped me down a chasm, kicked me out of my own home, attacked me with his strongest attack, threatened to kill a human who came to him with peaceful intentions and sent a single human boy off to take a fort on his own." He laughed at the gobsmacked look on Jack's face. "Zane and I aren't quite seeing eye-to-eye right now."

"I'm not sure if that orb is really going to be a problem for you," Jack grumped as they continued walking. "Did he really drop you in a chasm?"

"Yeah. Got a bit banged up, but I survived in one piece."

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed, or scared for your life."

Harry chuckled.

They were silent through the rest of the Cuatour Region and on the bridge to the Elf Region. On the far side, they paused to take a water break.

"Hey, Harry?"

"Hm?"

"Would you care? When I died?"

Harry hissed in sharply and looked away. After a moment, he said, "Yes," in a quiet voice. "I would care. I always care."

Jack watched Harry's frozen profile for a long moment before nodding. "Are you going to up and disappear one day? Even though I know you won't age?"

Harry swallowed and looked back at the boy. "Not unless you want me to."

Jack blinked. "Why would I want you to disappear? You're my friend."

Harry smiled then. "You're sweet," he said drily.

"What? I'm not sweet!"

Harry chuckled and turned to start walking again. "Come on. We're halfway there."

"I'm not sweet!" Jack demanded, hurrying after him.

Harry laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "You'll understand why when you're older," he promised.

"What do you mean, 'when I'm older'? Harry!"

Harry shook his head and continued laughing.

-0-0-0-

Fan and Shin met them at the entrance. "Lord Zane and the girl are waiting in his home," Fan reported with a smile.

Harry smiled back. "Excellent. Thanks, Fa–" He suddenly stopped, eyes going wide.

"Harry?" Fan asked, floating forward a bit.

"Drama king," Shin muttered.

Harry gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his throat.

"Harry!" Fan and Jack shouted, both falling to their knees next to him. Behind them, Shin floated, uncertain.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Jack pleaded as Harry gasped for air.

"Are you hurt?" Fan whispered.

Harry shook his head and gasped out, "Cepheid," before his eyes rolled up in his head and he fainted.

-0-0-0-0-0-

-0-0-0-0-0-

A/N: Meeheeheeheehee... *rubs hands together evilly* I wrote a cliffy! Don't you hate me?

*waves*
~Bats ^.^x


Chapters:
Prologue - Falling
1 - Elves ||| 2 - Humans ||| 3 - Let It Go
4 - And If It Returns ||| 5 - It Was Meant to Be ||| 6 - Ways of the Dragons
7 - To Build an Army ||| 8 - Power Over Life ||| 9 - Arbitrator
10 - Blood-Filled Days ||| 11 - Hic Sunt Dracones

...

Comments

[sphynxisms.livejournal.com]

You and your cliffhangers! Warning would be nice. *grumble* I have to wait a whole week now! You better hope there are plenty of updates on other stories to keep me from going mad.

[batsutousai]

LOL. But a warning wouldn't get such amazing responses. XD
Well, Crooked Wings is updating on Weds – dunno if you're reading that one... – and then Xerosis on Thursday. ^.^

[sphynxisms.livejournal.com]

It's your fault I know anything about FFX in the first place. You are just about the only author I would read crossovers of HP and something I know nothing about. So, no offense, but Crooked Wings just ain't my thing. I'm sure I'll survive. Maybe I'll get my husband to figure out how to import ALL of my favourites from my old computer to this one. I'm missing more than a few.

[batsutousai]

LOL. So'k. I know most people only read my HP stuff, since that's what they know. ^.~